Cartridge case ejector for reciprocating breech block type of guns



Aprll 21, 1953 HIGSON 2,635,377

CARTRIDGE CASE EJECTOR FOR RECIPROCATING BREECH BLOCK TYPE OF GUNS Original Filed Nov. 2, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet l PERCY REUBEN mesa/yam, BYAL/CE HAT/LDA mesa/v, EXECUTE/X HIGSON 2,635,377

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ApriT 21, 1953 CARTRIDGE CASE EJECTOR FOR RECIPROCATING BREECI-I BLOCK TYPE OF GUNS Original Filed Nov. 2, 1946 Q um Aprll 21, 1953 P. R. HIGSON CARTRIDGE CASE EJECTOR FOR RECIPROCATING BREECH BLOCK TYPE OF GUNS Original Filed Nov. 2, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 J l ///////////y////'//////// PERCY IPEl/BfN H/GSGM DECEASED, B Y AL/CENAWLDA b76301! XECUT/P/C BY 7414M fwfl v5,

AGENTS Patented Apr. 21, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARTRIDGE CASE EJECTO-R FOR RECIPRO- CATING BREECH BLOCK TYPE OF GUNS company Original application November 2, 1946, Serial No.

707,394. Divided and this application September 8, 1949, Serial No. 114,573. In Great Britain October 29, 1945 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires October 29, 1965 4 Claims.

This invention relates to cartridge feeding and ejecting mechanism for machine guns of the type in which the breech block is reciprocated along the axis of the barrel and accommodates a relatively displaceable firing pin, for example, a machine gun of the type generally known as the Vickers type in which the firing pin is operated during the locking action of a side lever actuating the reciprocating breech lock, an example of this type of machine gun being shown in United States Patent No. 2,013,312. The object of the invention is to generally simplify and improve the feeding and ejecting mechanism and also to make sure that no empty cartridge case is left in the breech or on the breech block when the whole of the source of supply of the cartridges has been consumed.

In machine guns of the aforesaid type the breech block carries a relatively perpendicular guide with means adapted to receive the live rounds in succession from the supply source or magazine, this guide carrying a relatively reciprocating carrier member formed with an abutment adapted to engage the rim of each round so as to force the round into alignment with the firing pin, the carrier member being caused to negotiate an island type of cam for receiving its reciprocation during reciprocation of the breech block, the live round acted on by this abutment ejecting the empty cartridge case from the guide, and the invention is characterised in that the carrier member slidably supports a slide carrying a spring loaded ejector urged by its spring against the base of each live round taken from the magazine or ammunition supplying means of the gun so as to be ineffective upon the rounds until following the firing of the last available rounds and thereupon being urged by its spring into an operative position as an extension of the said abutment so that instead of a live round engaging and ejecting the empty cartridge case from the guide the said ejector member engages and ejects the cartridge case.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, drawings are appended hereto illustrating an embodiment thereof, and wherein,

Figure 1 is a broken sectional side elevation of a Vickers machine gun breech mechanism in the firing position and embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation showing the breech mechanism with the breech block in fully recoiled position and with a round positioned ready for ramming into the breech,

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of the breech in the firing position and firing the last round, and

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation showing the cartridge case of the last round being ejected.

Referring to the drawings the breech actuating and firing pin mechanism is shown by way of example as corresponding to that described in the co-pending Application Serial No. 707,394, now United States Patent No. 2,509,640, in which the firing pin 5 reciprocates within a cylindrical bore 5 of a breech block I having an abutment 2 co-operating with a scar 3, the breech block being reciprocated in known manner by a side lever H] which as in co-pending Application Serial No. 707,394, now United States Patent No. 2,509,640, has an abutment I2 co-operating with an abutment l on the firing pin to automatically effect a striker action as the breech is closed. However, the present invention is more concerned with the means for transporting the cartridges from the feed box E8 to the breech and extracting and discharging the spent cartridge cases, the mechanism for this purpose being applied to the known form of upstanding guide I! in which the cartridge indicated at C is held by its rim in known manner between the flanges Ila of the guide. Following the withdrawal of a live round from the box I8 the round is urged along the flanges ila simultaneously by the downward movement of a transporter member IS in channel It in the guide ll, the transporter member having a lower front corner piece Iia which engages the rims of the rounds, thus ultimately bringing the appropriate live round into engagement with a spring loaded detent 4 (see Figure 2) in order that the cartridge may be located correctly at the front end of the breech block and supported in coaxial alignment with the barrel.

The reciprocating movement of the transporter member vertically relatively to the axis of travel of the breech block is controlled by an island type cam, i. e. spaced and opposed inclined cam surfaces l9, I9, 20 and 20, on a side plate 2| and top cover 22 respectively. That is to say the downward movement of the transporter member i5 is effected during the rearward travel of the horns l5 along the rear or descending part IQ of the upper cam surface, and also during the forward movement of the horns l5 along the forwardly descending part 20' of the lower cam surface, the return or upward movement being derived from the cam or ramp surfaces 20.

When a round has been fired its case is withdrawn as the breech block is retracted, by reason of the interengagement of the cartridge case rim and the flanges Ha and in due course is ejected by the succeeding round forcing the empty cartridge case downwards over the detent 4.

Assembled to the said transporter member 15 is a spring loaded ejector 23 pivoted on a pin 24 to a slide 25 slidably supported by thetransporter member for slight vertical reciprocation relatively to the transporter member 15, this ejector operating to eject thecase of the last cartridge from the lower end of the flanges Ila when all of the ammunition has been consumed, and for this purpose the lower extremity of the ejector which, at the appropriate time engages belt when as shown in Figure 3, the ejector is urged slightly forward by its spring 26 and with the slide 25 is carried down with the carrier to its lowermost position as shown in Figure 4 to eject the cartridge case 01? the last fired cartridge over and beyond the aforesaid spring loaded detent 4. For this latter operation the front edge of the slide is formed with a recess 21 dimensioned to receive readily the ejector 23, the ejector comprising a finger pivoted to the slide and spring loaded forwardly as aforesaid by the coiled compression spring 26, the arrangement being such that the lower part of this ejector is prevented from moving forwardly under the influence of such spring by reason of its engagement with the base of the" appropriate cartridge C in the feed box, but following the removal of the last round in the feed box the ejector 23 is free to move forwardly on its pivot so that its lower end bears against the uppermost point of the base of the cartridge case and pushes such case downwardly beyond the spring loaded detent. V tridge case is to be ejected the ejector 23 is prevented from being pressed forwardly by its spring 26 when the cartridge is positioned (as in Figure 2) in the loading position, by the lower edge of this ejector abutting against a step 28 on the front end of the breech block, thus causing the ejector to be pushed upwards relatively to the carrier so that the lower part of the ejector lies behind the round engaging corner piece I500 of the transporter member. The extractor is formed with a recess or step 23a adapted to slip overthe corner piece I=a when the extractor comes opposite the emptyfeed box l8 (see Figure 3) so that it cannot now be moved upwardly relatively ,to the slide and forms a positive abutment to engage and eject the last cartridge case as in Figure 4.

.I claim:

, 1. ma FVickers type machine gun, the combination of a breechand barrel, a reciprocating breech block, a side lever actuatingthe breech block, a firing pin in the breech block operated from the side lever, a cartridge supply compartment above the breech, a cartridge guide carried by and upstanding from the breech block, a cartridge transporter reciprocating vertically along said guide, means imparting vertical reciprocation to the transporter during reciprocation of the breech block, a cartridge rim engaging part with said transporter which engages and extracts the rounds in succession from said compartment and pushes each extracted round down the said guide on to the breech block and presses the extracted live round against the empty cartridge case carried by the breech block to eject the empty cartridge case, an ejector member connected to the transporter member and having in advance of the rim engaging part of the said transporter member its own distinctive cartridge rim engaging part extending therefrom to engage and eject the empty cartridge case from the breech block when the supply of ammunition is exhausted, means yieldingly opposing rearward displacement of the ejector member so that the ejector member is held in an inoperative position in rear of the cartridge engaging part of the transporter member by the base of the live round engaged by the transporter member, said means urging the ejector member into an operative position with its cartridge rim engaging part located in advance of the like part of the transporter member to act as a substitute for a live round to engage and eject the empty cartridge case from the gun.

2; A machine gun according to claim 1 wherein the breech block is formed at its leading end with a spring loaded plunger having its leading end located so as to serve as an abutment for positioning the rounds in operative alignment with the firing pin, said plunger being pressed into the breech block under the influence of the downward pressure of the empty cartridge case alignment with the breech by the transporter Excepting when the last car'- member to cause a displacement of the ejector to an idle position abutting against the rear of the round engaging part of the transporter during return of the transporter from the breech.

4. A machine gun according to claim 3 wherein the ejector is pivoted to a slide slidable within the transporter member and a spring between said slide and the ejector urges the ejector to the operative position to engage the rim of the very last empty cartridge case.

ALICE MATILDA HIGSON. Executrz'r of the estate of Percy Reuben Higson,

deceased.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,040,692 Kjellman Oct. 8, 1912 1,146,536 Swebilius et al. July 13, 1915 1,451,443 Fowler Apr. 10, 1923 1,809,222 Soncini June 9, 1931 1,994,564 Burton et a1. Mar. 19, 1935 2,013,312 Larsson et al. Sept. 3, 1935 2,093,705 Browning Sept. 21, 1937 2,500,139 Swebilius Mar. '7, 1950 

